THE MINIMALIST; On the Grill, Standing Up

By Mark Bittman

Published: September 1, 2004

ONE of the greatest crowd-pleasers, assuming the crowd has plenty of carnivores, is the standing rib roast. This large cut is so easy to prepare, so close to foolproof, that one can see it nicely done even in second-rate restaurants and buffets.

There's a reason for this: the standing rib, widely acknowledged as the best cut for roast beef, contains delicious meat as well as thin layers of meat and fat sitting right on the bone, almost guaranteed to crisp up.

Unless you choose a super-lean cut, the internal meat will be fatty enough to self-baste; it will not dry out easily. Thus it can be cooked unadorned, without liquid, in a dry oven or in the outdoor equivalent, over indirect heat on a grill. A grill using wood or hardwood charcoal is ideal, but briquettes or even gas will do. With these last two options, soaked wood chips over the flames will add an intense grilled flavor.

All that matters is that the internal heat of the grill reach 450 to 600 degrees when it is covered (easily achieved with half the burners on in a gas grill, or with a moderately hot charcoal fire) and that the meat not be cooked beyond 125 degrees. An instant-read thermometer guarantees success.

After grilling a number of roasts, I recommend salt, pepper and perhaps a suspicion of garlic as a perfectly fine seasoning. You can go in other directions -- curry or chili powder, or your favorite spice rub -- but to my taste anything else detracts from the roast's stark and wonderful meatiness.

Supermarkets commonly sell roasts with four to seven ribs (there are twelve ribs in all). Usually three or four ribs will serve at least six. More ribs mean better-tasting meat, but more important than the number of ribs is the meat's quality. If you can find and afford it, look for meat graded ''prime'' (few supermarkets have it). ''Choice'' meat (what you usually get in a supermarket) is more than acceptable, but ''good'' meat is so lean that the whole point will be lost.

To save time, buy a roast of sirloin strip, also known as New York sirloin. This is a piece usually cut for familiar steak, but in this case left whole. A three- to four-pound piece will cook in less than an hour.

1. Prepare a grill for indirect cooking. If gas, turn only one side on, or just the front or back burner, depending on grill's configuration. Placing an aluminum tray of soaked wood chips over flames to impart a wood flavor to meat is optional. If grilling over wood or charcoal, build a fire on one side of grill only.
2. Sprinkle meat liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the garlic clove and rub all over meat. If you want intense garlic flavor, cut slivers of garlic and use a sharp, thin-bladed knife to insert them into meat.
3. Place roast directly on cool side of grill and cover. Monitor meat's temperature and keep fire alive, checking every 30 minutes or so. Target internal temperature for meat is just over 120 degrees for rare, 125 degrees for medium-rare (meat's temperature will climb about 5 degrees after you take it off grill). A 5-pound roast will be done in under 2 hours; a 7-pounder in just over 2 hours. Let meat rest before slicing and serving.

Yield: 6 servings.

Note: For faster grilled roast beef, start with a boneless sirloin roast, 3 to 4 pounds. Proceed as above; cooking time will be about 45 minutes.